Privacy-Preserving Access Control for Electronic Health Record Systems

Abstract

The rapid adoption of Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems has significantly improved the management, 
storage, and sharing of patient medical information among healthcare providers. However, ensuring the privacy 
and confidentiality of sensitive health records remains a critical challenge due to increasing concerns regarding 
unauthorized access, data breaches, and regulatory compliance. Privacy-preserving access control mechanisms 
have emerged as an effective solution to safeguard patient information while maintaining secure and efficient 
data accessibility. This paper presents an overview of privacy-preserving access control techniques employed in 
Electronic Health Record systems, emphasizing role-based access control, attribute-based access control, 
encryption-based access policies, and patient-centric authorization models. The study discusses the importance 
of secure authentication, fine-grained authorization, and cryptographic approaches for protecting medical data 
against unauthorized disclosure. Furthermore, existing challenges, including scalability, interoperability, 
emergency access, and policy management, are examined. The proposed framework highlights the integration of 
privacy-preserving mechanisms with access control strategies to improve confidentiality, integrity, and 
availability of healthcare information. The study concludes that combining cryptographic techniques with flexible 
access control models can significantly enhance the security and privacy of Electronic Health Record systems 
while supporting efficient healthcare services.